The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may or may not constitute prior art.
Consumers frequently use personal electronic devices such as cellular telephones in their vehicles. However, the metal body of vehicles can act as a shield and can block some of the radio frequency (RF) signals from entering the interior cabin of the vehicle. As a result, if a portable electronic device is being used within the interior cabin of the vehicle, RF signals such as cellular telephone signals or global positioning system (GPS) signals can sometimes be weak. Moreover, certain government mandated vehicle regulations require passenger vehicles to use solar management glass coatings. This type of glass coating causes less infrared energy to be transmitted into the interior cabin of the vehicle, which in turn reduces the heat load in the interior cabin of the vehicle. However, this coating may also attenuate RF signals that travel through the glass.
Vehicle antennas are typically mounted on an exterior surface of a vehicle and are employed to communicate RF signals. Exterior vehicle antennas are usually mounted on the roof, trunk, or rear glass of the vehicle. Because the exterior antenna is mounted on the outside of the vehicle, the exterior antenna may be especially susceptible to damage during a vehicle crash, or can be broken off unintentionally or intentionally. An inoperable or missing exterior antenna may cause wireless communication to be unavailable for in-vehicle wireless communication systems such as OnStar®. For example, during a roll-over accident the exterior antenna may be crushed if located on the roof of the vehicle, thereby leaving in-vehicle wireless communication systems inoperable. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a more reliable antenna system that effectively communicates RF signals.